The Eff ects of Social Networking Sites on Understanding of Information and Privacy of Digital Natives

Abstract

Those born after 1980 are defined in literature as digital natives. The digital natives were literally born into a world of knowledge and technology. The most important characteristic of digital natives is that not only do they perfom more than one function on a single device simultaneously but that they also do not have any qualms about sharing personal information even with indviduals that they do not know online. Even though digital natives would argue that their aim is to simply share information, it is necessary to probe how the new generation’s understanding of the concepts of obtaining information and privacy.

This study examined how students of the Department of Information and Records Management at the University of Marmara as digital natives used social networking sites and therefore examined the approach of students to obtanining information and their views on the issue of privacy. In this study, 230 students who are formal training at MÜBBY were surveyed a questionnaire consisting of close-ended questions. The survey results were entered the SPSS program and the results were evaluated according to SPSS results. End of the study, participated in the survey of the digital natives on the social platform are often used to obtain information and knowledge sharing, and about half of the digital natives while moving on the social platform had not seen the reference of the concept of privacy.